UFC 329: Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison Preview & Prediction
Olympic gold medalist, Gable Steveson, makes his much anticipated debut as the heaviest favourite in UFC history, taking on Elisha Ellison in a heavyweight match up.
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison facts
What time are Gable Steveson and Elisha Ellison expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 329
What TV channel is UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 main card
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 (Welterweight)
Benoit Saint-Denis vs Paddy Pimblett (Lightweight)
Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista (Bantamweight)
Brandon Royval vs Lone'er Kavanagh (Flyweight)
King Green vs Terrance McKinney (Lightweight)
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 prelims
Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov (Light Heavyweight)
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison (Heavyweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez (Bantamweight)
Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka III (Featherweight)
Tracy Cortez vs Wang Cong (Women's Flyweight)
Damian Pinas vs Cesar Almeida (Middleweight)
Farid Basharat vs John Garza (Bantamweight)
Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese (Middleweight)
Alessandro Costa vs Cody Durden (Flyweight)
Gable Steveson: Will Steveson add a perfect UFC debut to his extensive list of accolades?
Arguably the greatest heavyweight wrestler of this generation, Gable Steveson (3-0) makes his UFC debut after a short lived stint with the WWE. A gold medalist at the 2020 Olympic Games, Steveson has earned virtually every wrestling accolade there is to be won, a daunting proposition for anybody who faces him in the cage considering that he’s also demonstrated brutal KO power in all of his MMA fights to date. Fighting out of Jackson Wink MMA, he’s finished all three of his MMA victories by knockout and has yet to see a second round, although he’s fought extremely mediocre competition on the regional circuit to date.
Elisha Ellison: "The Snack Panther" aims to send shockwaves rippling through the MMA world
Debuting as the largest underdog in UFC history, Elisha Ellison (5-2) looks to score what would be one of the biggest fraud checks in modern MMA history. Boasting a 100% finishing rate in victory, “The Snack Panther” has only fought once under the UFC banner, losing by first round TKO to Brando Pericic last September. Outside of that, Ellison has fought a steady diet of cans on the regional circuit, with the concerning side note that he’s already been finished by non-UFC level competition. At 6’0, he’s slightly undersized for heavyweight, another worrying sign when faced with an athlete of Steveson’s calibre.
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison prediction
Barring an absolutely monumental upset, the outcome of this one should be fairly elementary.
Respectfully, Ellison is a bottom of the barrel heavyweight. He has one victory over an opponent with a winning record and got pounded out by Brando Pericic in less than two minutes in his only UFC appearance to date. There’s no shame in losing to “The Balkan Bear,” but he didn’t show anything in that fight that makes me think he has much chance of scoring the upset here.
Steveson may be extremely raw, but he looks like he has what it takes to cut it in the sparsely populated Top 10 of the UFC heavyweight division if he continues to progress at his current rate. He’s an athletic powerhouse with Olympic level wrestling ability and KO power in his fists, allowing him to dictate wherever the fight takes place against lower level opposition.
I think Steveson could be ripe for a Bo Nickal-esque fraud check further down the line when he faces a technical striker with solid takedown defence and get ups; he's got dismal defence and ate a monstrous wheel kick from an opponent who was decidedly not UFC calibre in his most recent appearance. However, Ellison doesn’t check any of those boxes. Steveson isn’t going to have to worry about being outgrappled here, allowing him to let his fists go in search of the early KO.
The Olympian lands a monstrous wrestler’s overhand in the early goings to kick off his UFC tenure with a highlight reel KO.
Prediction: Gable Steveson to win by first round KO
